After The Soft And Cute Beauty Marries The Wolf King - Chapter 59

The grasslands were far from Anyu, so by the time they received a reply from Anyu, Xie Lingyue had already been born for a month.

 

It was noon when the letter arrived. Xie Zhiqing was just about to leave with Lang Sa to visit the baby.

 

As he opened the door, he saw Ateus running towards him with the letter in his mouth, crashing straight into his arms.

 

Xie Zhiqing hurriedly took the letter and tore it open to read.

 

The letter was from Xie Zhifeng, who wrote that upon hearing of Lingyue’s birth, everyone was delighted. The emperor and the crown prince were especially concerned about his health and decided to set out for the grasslands soon. The letter was to discuss whether it was a good time for them to depart now.

 

Xie Zhiqing read the letter several times.

 

Xie Zhifeng’s handwriting was so familiar that he could almost trace every stroke by heart.

 

He quickly ran back to his room, found some paper and a pen, and carefully wrote his reply.

 

Xie Zhiqing wrote that the weather on the grasslands was warming up, making it suitable for travel; Xie Lingyue was still going through the Zhihua process and was not being raised by their side, so their arrival would be well-timed.

 

He didn’t want to waste another moment and immediately sealed the letter, handing it to Ateus, asking him to take it to the post station.

 

Just then, Lang Sa reached out and took the letter, saying, “Let me handle it. I’ll find someone else to send it.”

 

He patted Ateus on the head and said, “Ateus should stay and guard Lingyue. I feel uneasy letting someone else watch over her.”

 

With that, he whistled, and a few half-wolves came running from a distance. They took the letter from his hand and ran off to the post station.

 

Xie Zhiqing was overjoyed, rubbing his face, feeling as if even the tips of his hair and the hems of his clothes were filled with happiness.

 

He hooked his arm around Lang Sa’s and half-ran on their way to visit Xie Lingyue.

 

Lang Sa lagged behind, dragged along with a look of resignation.

 

“Slow down, be careful not to fall!”

 

Instead of slowing down, Xie Zhiqing turned back and made a face at him.

 

“Hurry up, hurry up! Let’s go share the news with the baby!”

 

Lang Sa grumbled, “All you ever think about is the baby!”

 

Xie Zhiqing was used to Lang Sa’s occasional jealousy and tugged at his belt, continuing to drag him forward. He even dared to tease him: “Wolf King! Are you getting old? Can’t even keep up?”

 

Lang Sa, being a wolf, couldn’t stand being provoked. He snorted heavily, grabbed Xie Zhiqing by the wrist, and slung him over his shoulder—

 

“Xie Zhiqing, it seems you’ve gotten very bold lately!” Lang Sa patted his butt and said, “Dare to question me?”

 

Xie Zhiqing immediately pleaded for mercy, “I was wrong, save me!”

 

Lang Sa pretended to be fierce, carrying him for a few steps before finally setting him down.

 

Xie Zhiqing, once back on the ground, showed no fear, only excitement. He wrapped his arms around Lang Sa’s neck, jumping into his embrace, and still speaking in a happy tone: “Lang Sa, Lang Sa!”

 

He didn’t say what it was, just kept calling Lang Sa’s name.

 

Lang Sa held him around the waist, sounding helpless but smiling indulgently, “Alright, my little ancestor, I hear you!”

 

*

 

No one knew how long Xie Lingyue’s Zhihua process would take, but Lang Sa had still thoroughly renovated this temporary room. The outside and inside were decorated with red that only Xie Zhiqing could see. At the door hung a rabbit and a wolf, symbols of their family.

 

As they approached, the elders responsible for the Zhihua process tactfully stepped out, leaving the room for the little family.

 

Xie Zhiqing nodded at them courteously.

 

But as soon as the elders left, the young prince discarded his usual poise and rushed to the crib to smile at Lingyue.

 

Xie Lingyue was asleep, her little face flushed in her sleep.

 

Xie Zhiqing watched her sleeping face for a while, then wanted to share the moment with Lang Sa. But when he looked up, he saw Lang Sa squatting in a corner, staring at something.

 

“Lang Sa?” he called out, “What are you doing?”

 

Lang Sa moved aside to make a gap for him to see, “The little wolf pup has transformed. I’m watching it.”

 

Xie Zhiqing was surprised, “The little wolf pup has transformed?!”

 

He quickly ran over to Lang Sa and squatted down beside him.

 

The little wolf pup was covered in gray-white fur, with patterns and colors identical to when Xie Lingyue was first born. It had its eyes closed, sleeping soundly. Its nose was black, and it hadn’t yet grown ears. Its limbs… didn’t have paws either.

 

Xie Zhiqing picked up the little wolf pup, pinching its bare limbs with concern, saying, “Where are its hands and feet? Why doesn’t it have paws?”

 

Lang Sa got up and walked over to Xie Lingyue’s crib, lifting the blanket slightly, and indicated, “They’re still on the baby.”

 

Xie Zhiqing walked over and saw—

 

Xie Lingyue’s four little black paws were indeed still there.

 

“Zhihua…is this what it’s like?” Xie Zhiqing murmured in a daze, “Before, when you said Ateus was the beast form that separated from you, I thought it was just a figure of speech…so, it’s really like this?”

 

Only then did Xie Zhiqing understand that the Zhihua process required Xie Lingyue’s wolf fur, wolf paws, and wolf ears to be separated one by one. Only then could the little wolf pup fully take shape.

 

He held the little wolf pup tightly, his eyes drooping with worry, and asked, “Does it hurt…?”

 

Lang Sa said, “According to the elders, Lingyue’s reaction has been very mild, with almost no pain.”

 

As he spoke, Lang Sa gently touched Xie Lingyue’s head and covered her back up with the blanket, softly saying, “Look, every time we come by, she’s sleeping soundly, very peacefully, isn’t she? She doesn’t seem to be in any pain.”

 

“That’s true.” Xie Zhiqing nodded, feeling a little more at ease.

 

He put the little wolf pup back where it had been, only to realize that it was sleeping in a little nest made by Ateus.

 

The small discovery alleviated some of his worries. He placed the little wolf pup back and said to Lang Sa, “Ateus is really considerate of the little wolf pup too.”

 

Lang Sa began teasing him again, “Is Ateus the only one who’s considerate of the little wolf pup?”

 

Xie Zhiqing put the little wolf pup back, ran to Lang Sa, and playfully bumped his shoulder with his forehead, laughing as he said, “There you go again! You’re very considerate of the little wolf pup too!”

 

Lang Sa pretended to be serious, “That’s more like it.”

 

Then he wrapped his arm around Xie Zhiqing, and the two laughed together.

 

Xie Lingyue woke up.

 

She heard the noise in the room, reached out her little hand towards the window, and made cooing sounds.

 

Xie Zhiqing exclaimed, “The baby is awake!”

 

He quickly went over to look.

 

Xie Lingyue opened her big, dark round eyes and looked at him.

 

The little baby’s face was chubby, and she stretched out her paws in the air, waving them, and smiled at Xie Zhiqing.

 

Xie Zhiqing touched her soft paw pads with his fingertips.

 

Though wolves are fierce animals, their paw pads were still soft and thick. Xie Zhiqing liked them very much, almost feeling that even if she kept her little black paws, he would still adore her.

 

However, he still held Xie Lingyue’s paws and whispered, “Baby, keep working hard on your Zhihua process. Mama is waiting for you to come home!”

 

He then ran to the corner, picked up the little wolf pup, and placed it next to Xie Lingyue, saying, “You two need to grow up well!”

 

Lang Sa, who was warming up milk for Xie Lingyue nearby, suddenly raised his voice and said, “By the way, Xiao Qing’er, I’ve already given the little wolf pup a name. I just forgot to tell you.”

 

Xie Zhiqing asked, “What’s the name?”

 

“Wu’erma,” Lang Sa said, “Let’s name it ‘Wu’erma’. What do you think?”

 

Xie Zhiqing repeated the name several times, clapping his hands, “It sounds great! Let’s go with your choice!”

 

He then bent down, placing Xie Lingyue’s arm next to Wu’erma’s, letting the two little babies, one human and one wolf, lie closely together.

 

Perhaps due to the Zhihua process, Xie Lingyue seemed to have a natural affection for the little beast cub beside her. She touched Wu’erma’s arm with her paw and then wriggled her chubby little body, using her arm to cover its small head.

 

Watching the two of them together, Xie Zhiqing felt his heart overflow with happiness.

 

Lang Sa had also finished warming the milk. He carried the small bowl over to Xie Zhiqing’s side and, upon seeing the two little ones cuddled together so closely, he, too, felt deeply moved.

 

He pressed his hand to his chest, unable to explain why, but the scene before him made his eyes well up with emotion.

 

The person he loved most was right beside him, and their baby was peacefully asleep in front of them.

 

Xie Zhiqing sniffed and rubbed his eyes. He took the small bowl from Lang Sa’s hand and said, “Let me do it! I haven’t fed Lingyue milk yet!”

 

He had Lang Sa pick up the baby and place her in his arms, then carefully fed Xie Lingyue after testing the milk’s temperature.

 

Xie Lingyue was in an exceptionally good mood. With each sip of milk, she made happy little noises and even giggled occasionally.

 

“So cute.” Xie Zhiqing couldn’t resist gently pinching her cheek with his fingertip.

 

The small bowl of milk was quickly finished, and Xie Zhiqing patted her back, saying, “I heard you need to burp the baby! But I’m not very good at it…”

 

“Oh, right, it’s supposed to help with digestion.” Lang Sa remembered that Grand Physician Sun had mentioned something similar and hurried over to help. “Let me do it.”

 

The pair of new parents clumsily lifted Xie Lingyue into a vertical position.

 

Xie Zhiqing passed his hands under the baby’s armpits, awkwardly holding her in his arms. The baby’s body was so soft that Xie Zhiqing didn’t dare use much force, anxiously calling out to Lang Sa, “Lang Sa, Lang Sa, you take over! I can’t free my hands!”

 

“…” Lang Sa furrowed his brow, saying, “This… we can’t use too much force.”

 

He very gently patted Xie Lingyue’s back, worried that a single wrong move might hurt her.

 

It wasn’t really a pat, more like a caress.

 

Xie Lingyue didn’t react at all, just lying on Xie Zhiqing’s shoulder and giggling.

 

In the end, the two switched roles. Lang Sa held the baby while Xie Zhiqing patted her back.

 

After a lot of fumbling, they finally managed to get it right.

 

With Lang Sa’s broad shoulders and Xie Zhiqing’s gentle touch, the baby, now full and content, quickly dozed off under their care.

 

After laying her back down, Xie Zhiqing couldn’t help but stroke her little face, murmuring, “Now it’s just the ears and paws left. Little Lingyue will be able to come home soon.”

 

Lang Sa reassured him, “Reaching this stage in just a month is very impressive. She’s progressing faster than I did back then.”

 

Xie Zhiqing glanced over, smiling with his lips pressed together. He said, “Alright, I know, but I can’t help feeling anxious.”

 

Lang Sa tapped his nose and said, “I know you’re anxious, but at this rate, it won’t be long. The baby will soon be able to go home and reunite with her mother.”

 

Xie Zhiqing wrinkled his nose and smiled. Leaning on Lang Sa’s shoulder, he nodded firmly and said, “Yes! The baby will soon be reunited with her parents!”

 

**Author’s Note:**

 

Plant a seed, harvest two babies, buy one get one free.

 

I was shocked to discover that the little wolf pup’s name was a banned word. I had to modify it and change it to a homophone.